This Week in Zoe

Zoe felt that Otis was getting too much attention on the blog, so she decided to make things interesting. (She likes to be in the middle of everything, you know.)

Wednesday was a particularly horrific day at work. Three people were laid off in our department. It wasn’t completely unexpected, but it was still difficult to watch them go. So I was not in the most relaxed state of mind when I got home.

Then Zoe peed in the middle of the dining room. She’s really good about letting us know when she has to go out (this is the first time she’s done that in the house), so we knew something was up. I’d noticed that she’d been urinating more than usual in the yard, too. We checked her bedding in her kennel, and that was soaked. I called the vet, who was able to get us in that evening.

We weren’t able to get into our usual vet, but we saw Dr. T, who had seen Otis when he was first diagnosed with hip dysplasia. She took Zoe back for a urine test, and we waited in the lobby for about 15 minutes while they got the results. Zoe sighed repeatedly and pawed at her Gentle Leader, which was now the bane of her life. Dr. T said that some of her levels were a little low, so they wanted to run some additional tests. They took Zoe in the back for a blood draw, and they were also nice enough to adjust her Gentle Leader, which had been a little on the loose side. Zoe still pawed at it because it was her sworn enemy, but not as much as before.

We started Zoe on a course of antibiotics for 10 days. Luckily, we noticed that they took effect almost immediately, and she hasn’t had an accident since (knock wood). The vet’s office called with the blood results, and her blood levels and kidney levels (which we were worried about) were completely normal.

So between the work thing and this, I feel like I’ve dodged two bullets this week. (I’m especially cautious about urinary/kidney infections because we took Abby in to treat one of those, and that’s how we found out she had lymphoma.)

Zoe was lethargic for a couple days, but she is back to her usual self. She offered her assistance while Tim was mowing yesterday. She sat in the path of the mower, with her back to him, and she didn’t move until he was about two feet away and had to tell her to get up. She is also quite good at supervising the making of sandwiches. She waits beneath the counter, nose pointed to the source of the meat, just in case one of us drops something. And of course, if we’re walking anywhere, she makes sure to stand directly in our path. I’m thankful and relieved to see she’s back in the middle of everything again.

Much Better

I took Otis to his first leash aggression class yesterday. It went extremely well. He only acted up a couple times, but in a weird way it was helpful, because the instructor pointed out a couple more things to look for.

I found the location right away, and as we were walking around the area before class began, a man approached us and asked if we were there for the leash aggression class. He was substituting for the regular instructor, and he did a great job. I’m so impressed with the entire staff at this facility, and I’ll put up links when we’re done with class.

There were five dogs in the class. We started out in a large circle, then we stepped in slightly closer, still keeping about 8-10 feet between each dog. Later in the class, we returned to the circle, and for a long time Otis had another dog 5 feet away, and he was as mellow as he could be.

We did an exercise where we followed each other around in a big circle, which was helpful because we could see how our dogs reacted to other dogs in front of them and behind them. Then we paired off and walked toward each other with our dogs, allowing a wide berth in between, getting slightly closer with each successful pass. Then, after several successful attempts, we stopped parallel to each other and had our dogs sit for a few seconds before moving on. We were paired with a very sweet Shepherd mix who wasn’t aggressive so much as curious. Otis did well until the final attempt, and then he decided he wanted to eat the other dog, and when that wouldn’t do, he took it out on his leash. He didn’t get out of control, which was good– I was able to calm him enough before he completely lost it.

The instructor noticed that his ears changed (which I saw as well), but his body posture changed where he would hunch down and start skulking toward the other dog. That is where I need to step in and take more control by having him sit and gently but firmly reminding him who’s in charge.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the session and how Otis behaved. I have a feeling that he might act up at the next class, just because he’s a little more comfortable, but we’ll see. Again, that’s why we’re there.

Dog Owner FAIL

Otis has been having a few issues with other dogs lately (and by lately, I mean since about October).

We took him to obedience class last fall, which helped, but he still has a tendency to lunge at other dogs while he’s on walks. I’m not sure how he’d do off-leash, and I’m afraid to take him to a dog park based on the aggression he’s shown on leash.

I signed him up for a leash aggression class, because that sounded like a good solution to his problems. Well, maybe not the solution, but something to help us deal better.

We had a private training session (required) before class, and it was extremely helpful. The trainer (Lynn) gave me some great tips to help Otis on walks. She emphasized keeping him calm, keeping me in control, and applying some counter-conditioning. We really couldn’t do the last one until we mastered the first two. To calm him, we gave him treats when other dogs passed by to show him that dogs were a positive thing. She also told me to watch his ear posture. They should normally be back and relaxed. When they start to move forward and his forehead starts to wrinkle, it means he’s starting to get excited and we need to bring him back down by stroking his head from front to back, including his ears. She said to use the high, happy voice and to stay calm myself (easier said than done).

Lynn also showed me how to walk Otis so he’d know I was in control. There was an imaginary line at my knees, and he couldn’t cross it. If he did, I corrected him with a quick tug on the leash and a vocal command (not “no,” but “ah, ah”). If he was really forward (literally), I needed to place my hand on his chest and stand in front of him to let him know he’s not going anywhere until I say so. Then I returned to standing parallel, said “let’s walk,” and off we went.

Another thing Lynn suggested was a new collar. Otis hated his Gentle Leader anyway, so he was happy to bid it good riddance. We’re now using a harness, with the leash clipped in the front (if you clip it in the back, it makes them want to lunge even more). We’d tried a harness with Abby, so the dogs had a sniff fest when we brought it out.

Working with Lynn was great– I can’t say enough good things about her. She has bully breeds of her own, so she knows how stubborn they can be.

I walked Otis around the neighborhood the night after the session, and he was an angel. We walked by a dog chained in a yard, and he was just fine, no reaction whatsoever. The next night, of course, he went bananas– shaking his head violently and gnawing on the leash. The key, I think, is keeping him calm and not letting him go to that crazy place. Once he’s there, it’s hard to turn Dr. Jekyll back into Mr. Hyde. I might not have been using the high, happy voice so much that time.

So I was really excited for class on Saturday, to reinforce what we’d learned and to get him back on track. We were going to meet near one of Minnesota’s many lakes. The weather was perfect– mid-80s and sunny. I carefully mapped the address using Google, but when I got to the lake itself, I had no idea where to go. I’d arrived early in case I got lost, and I spent the next 45 minutes pacing up and down the lake, looking for groups of dogs. The trainer was a different person than the trainer for the private session, so I wasn’t sure who to look for. I couldn’t call Tim and have him look up the details on the internet, because he was out fishing, and of course I didn’t think of calling anyone else with internet access until I got home. And of course, in my hurry to leave early, I didn’t bring the trainer’s cell number with me. Surprisingly, Otis behaved like a perfect gentleman, so it wasn’t a total loss.

Still, I feel like a complete and total failure as his owner. I’m mad at myself for not writing down the directions more clearly (when I got home, I realized exactly where it was– we went one way instead of the other), and mad that I’ve deprived Otis of something he needed so much. I worry that the next three Saturdays will be filled with rain and they’ll have to postpone class to a date when I’m on vacation, or that Otis will go completely crazy between now and then and it’s something I could have prevented with something I would have learned in class. I know I’m being ridiculous, but I’m just so disappointed in myself for not doing everything in my power to make sure he got to class. I feel like I let him down.

I just got a call from the trainer, and she made me feel better. She said that the dogs get so familiar with each other throughout the class that it’s okay to miss a session, and there was one other person who will be starting anew next week, so we’re not alone. I apologized profusely about missing the class and told her I hoped she didn’t wait long.

In the meantime, I’ll keep practicing, hoping that he continues to make progress. Maybe this will motivate me to work with him even more, to make up for the time he lost today.